Parking Dispute Stalls Plans

MOUNT DORA — A disagreement about parking has stalled the city's plans to buy vacant downtown property originally planned for a residential development.

City officials last month offered $10,000 as an option to buy more than half the land along Fifth Avenue and McDonald Street owned by Fidelity Services Inc. of Fort Lauderdale and Montague Mortgage Inc. of Mount Dora.

Developers decided in March to sell the property because of poor sales for a housing project called Constitution Square. The city has considered buying part of the property for $175,000 for a downtown parking lot.

The developers are asking $350,000 for three commercially zoned lots on Fifth Avenue while the city has been offered land behind the roadfront property and a triangular-shaped parking lot across McDonald Street.

Fidelity Services wants the city to approve a proposal for fewer parking spaces per square feet of future building space along the roadfront property, said city attorney Harlow Middleton.

City council members rejected that proposal earlier this week to allow one off-street parking space for every 800 square feet of building space. Zoning for the property calls for one off-street parking space for every 400 square feet of building space, Middleton said.

Last month the developers were prepared to accept the city's offer but an option has not been signed, Middleton said.

Sandy Minkoff, a Tavares attorney representing Fidelity Services, said the developers probably will decide next week whether to withdraw the land offer.